In the first attempt of its kind, four RAF personnel will scale the 837 steps of London’s iconic Gherkin skyscraper 50 times, to match the height of the world’s tallest mountain Mount Everest.
Standing at 180m tall over 38 floors, The Gherkin, officially known as 30 St Mary’s Axe, will double up as the 8,848m high mountain in the gruelling 12-hour challenge, to raise funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund.
Read moreMarathon man Jon Ward dons his trainers for his 99th marathon out of 100 this weekend as he lines up to compete in the Scottish Borders Marathon.
Jon, a Corporal in the Royal Air Force, set himself the ambitious target of completing 100 official marathons, to mark the RAF centenary. This weekend will see him take on his 99th race, with his impressive challenge coming to an end in Gravesend on 1 April, 2018, 100 years to the day since the RAF was formed.
Read moreArmy Veteran, Dave Mills, has pledged to walk for the next two years for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity
Yesterday Army veteran Dave Mills set off on his two-year-long fundraiser, walking around the globe to raise money for SSAFA. On a sunny Monday morning, Sir Andrew Gregory CEO of SSAFA and fellow staff gathered to wave him off from the significant starting place of the Cenotaph in London.
Read morePut your best foot forward this March in aid of veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress, as they seek to raise money to meet the staggering increase in demand for their specialist services.
In the last ten years, the number of former servicemen and women with mental health problems who have contacted the charity for treatment has risen by 143% – from 994 in 2006/7 to 2,420 in 2016/17. The NHS, Ministry of Defence and Combat Stress’ own research forecast that demand for veterans’ mental health services will continue to rise over the next decade.
Read moreA veteran from Surrey is currently training to compete in a 100km walk from London to Brighton for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Chris Butler, 46 and from Merstham, has been a volunteer for the charity for several years, helping as a guide in a number of events including the 100K London to Brighton in 2016 and the Blind Veterans UK Ski Club trip to Italy in 2015. He also took part in both the 100K London to Brighton and Ride for Life events in 2017, the latter of which he’ll be doing again this year, alongside the 100km challenge.
Read moreThe Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), established to help ex-Service personnel and their families make a successful and sustainable transition back to civilian life, has appointed five new Directors to its Board: Ross Campbell, Anaїs Reding, Nick Roberts, Robert Robson and Andrew Ward.
Ross Campbell is the Director, Public Sector at the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW) where he leads the Institute’s work to improve standards in the management of the Public Finances, both in the UK and internationally.
Read moreFrom 21st February – 2nd March and 3rd – 11th March, a total of 27 beneficiaries – hailing from 16 difference units of the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force – will be skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado. Split into two groups, week one will include Hari Budha Magar, a former Gurkha who is attempting to become the first above-knee, double amputee to summit Mt Everest. It will also include two sets of twins; two sisters from the Royal Artillery and two brothers from the RAF Regiment and Royal Marines.
Read moreA globe-trotting fundraiser has completed her biggest challenge after climbing the infamous Mount Everest.
Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) fundraiser, Irene Robinson, began her ascent up Mount Everest in early February and took 8 days to reach base camp.
Ms Robinson, from Poole in Dorset, had to face bitter temperatures of -14 degrees while battling the tough altitude on Everest.
Read moreA veteran from North Yorkshire is currently training to compete in a 100km walk from London to Brighton for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Mark Sullivan, 60 and from York, will be attempting the mammoth challenge for the fourth time, having previously completed both the 100k London to Brighton and the 100k Yorkshire. He also completed half of the 100k London to Brighton one year. He explains: “I just love the whole event. It’s a superb charity and very important to me that I’m able to support the blind and vision-impaired veterans of our country.
Read moreA married couple from North Yorkshire are training to complete a 100 kilometre walk in the Yorkshire dales for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Ruth and David Fisher, from Birstwith, were inspired to sign up to the ultra-challenge after meeting a group of walkers who were themselves competing in last year’s walk. Ruth, 49, explains: “We were out walking our dog on a path that’s used by the 100k Yorkshire, when we met and chatted to a few of the participants. Some of the group were actually blind veterans, which David and I just found incredibly inspirational. 100km is no ordinary undertaking, especially if you’re vision impaired. Yet that determination and positivity of these men was awe-inspiring!”
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